How does SGD assign references for GO terms?
In assigning Gene Ontology (GO) terms, our aim is to annotate each function, process, and location of the gene product with a reference that establishes the classification as directly as possible. For example, a paper demonstrating the enzymatic activity of a protein would be chosen over one in which the enzymatic activity was suggested by a mutant phenotype. Exceptions to this may occur when there is extensive literature about a gene product; in this case, we may reference a review article with Traceable Author Statement (TAS) evidence. Our aim is not to assemble a complete historical record of yeast research: if multiple papers provide the same type of evidence for a particular GO term, in general we only reference one of them. This may be the first paper that established that fact, or it may be the most recent paper published about the gene at the time the GO term was assigned. Thus, our failure to cite a particular paper for GO classifications in no way reflects on our opinion of i
